When Canaries Cry
by StarryDreaming
Summary: Rip Hunter's team has arrived back in Star City 2016, but a little too late.
_**Author's Note:** The title of "When Canaries Cry" was because I was listening to Prince when deciding to post this. I hope that no other story has the same title, but if it does, I didn't intentially take it. _

_So major MAJOR spoilers for "Arrow" past Episode 18 "Eleven-Fifty-Nine". You've been warned. I had been wanting to write this and after watching Arrow's Episode 19 "Canary Cry" ...this just had to be written. Plus, it's really bothering me that no one has yet to contact Sara (though, no idea how they could!) so this is my way of resolving that bit of angst and anger :)_

 _Thank you to IceBlueRose for the words of encouragement and being the best Beta-reader a girl could have. This is my first to be posted on AO3! So, without further ado..._

* * *

A chill crossed over him, which for Captain Cold was an ironic feeling to say the least but for once, it had nothing to do with his gun or chilling attitude. Instead, the blood-curdling scream somehow punched him in the gut and sent chills throughout his body at the same time. He ripped the ear piece out, suddenly wishing that he'd forgotten to put the blasted thing in.

Sara.

He'd never heard a scream like that come from her but the intensity of it and the desperation of heartache that accompanied it meant something had gone bad, very, very bad. Leonard was quick to his feet, as any good thief should be if he had any credibility but instead of working on a heist, his main goal in that moment was to get to her side and he left his room on the Waverider, headed toward the loading dock with little else on his mind.

"What was that?" Ray asked as he and Kendra stepped out from their room, they must've had their comms in still since they'd just come back from doing a stake out, trying to gather intel.

"Clearly, it was a scream," Leonard commented. Palmer had the smarts alright but the man lacked in the area of common sense. "It was Sara."

"Sara?" Kendra questioned, "Why would she b-" Leonard didn't bother waiting for Kendra to finish the obviously ridiculous question. If they knew why Sara was screaming then there wouldn't be a need to go after her, would there? Rolling his eyes, he made his way to the entrance. They'd arrived in Star City 2016 after Gideon had noticed an anomaly in the timeline but she'd been mute in her explanation as to what had occurred since their arrival. His thoughts for Sara hadn't been the only ones as not only did Ray and Kendra follow him, but soon to join them were the others of their motley crew that Captain Rip Hunter had brought together.

"Is Ms. Lance alright?" Martin Stein asked, causing Leonard's thoughts to momentarily derail from getting to Sara as both Stein and Jax rushed into the command center of the Waverider. Everyone must have left their own ear pieces in.

"Yeah," Mick's rough voice chimed in, "Sounds like a barrel of laughs coming from our little blondie." Leonard glanced at his partner's direction, still unsure if he could trust him as far as the giant rock could be thrown, but it was nice to know that even after his time as Chronos, great minds still thought alike.

"Well why don't we just find out exactly what's going on instead of standing in here?" Leonard said, a slight change in the tone of his voice that if someone had been paying attention, it would've caused at least a bit of curiosity. Thankfully, for his sake, no one seemed to be worried about him and instead they kept their focus on Sara. Taking a few cautious steps toward the loading dock of the Waverider, Leonard raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun that streamed in from the outside. Rip had instructed Gideon to land the ship on what used to be the Queen Estates since it seemed to be vacant.

As he stepped outside, he felt warmed by the sun but that didn't change the feeling on the inside of the chill he'd felt from earlier. Glancing around, he noticed that the rest of the group had stayed in the loading dock, leaving him to continue on. With no indication that Sara was even around, Leonard wondered how they'd even heard her scream or where the hell she was. "C'mon, Lance," he said, looking around. "Where the hell are you?"

Though he knew the ship was behind him, it was still a bit unnerving when it disappeared as he glanced over his shoulder. Turning back to the view from the Queen Estates, Leonard smirked a moment, leave it to the Queens to have the view like no other. On one side, the beauty of Star City and on the other, the stone cold cemented darkness of loneliness of Starling Ci- make that Star City Cemetery. He took that moment to just stop and listen despite the fact that he knew Sara wasn't on the other end. She was hurting and she made sure that she'd cut off that communication. "I think she's in the cemetery, Mr. Snart," Leonard heard faintly out of the ear piece that rested against his shoulder.

"Thank you, Gideon," he said, unsure how he felt that the computer was able to just find them. Of course, it was probably some tracker or a sample of their blood that Rip Hunter likely stole from them while they were sleeping one night that allowed the AI to do that but it didn't make it less creepy.

* * *

That was where he found her, and when he did he felt like he'd been gutted. Gone was the strong, independent League of Assassins member that could literally kill him in a matter of moments and instead, he just saw a crumpled up ball of black, blonde and almost lifeless though he knew she was breathing because there was just the slightest tremor that could be seen. He was quiet and careful as he approached her, unaware of whether or not he should have a gun just in case but as he got closer and saw that she was lying next to a tombstone.

 _Dinah Laurel Lance_

 _1985 – 2016_

 _The Black Canary_

He looked back down at Sara, now the White Canary. Surely, there was a connection. Careful with his movements, almost as if approaching a possible wild animal, Leonard knelt down a moment suddenly not caring that the grass was still a bit damp. He reached out, his fingers tracing over the name he'd only known thanks to the media and newspaper clippings he'd been allowed while in Iron Heights. Assistant District Attorney Laurel Lance had been the reason many of his cell mates were incarcerated but what he didn't know was she was the Black Canary. Turning toward Sara, he let out a small sigh as he sat down beside her.

"Looks to me like you could use a drink," he said softly, making sure to tap off his communicator as he did. Sara didn't move, she lay still with her hair out against the dirt of the newly formed grave. " Or maybe ten. What do you say? I'll buy the first round."

"Fuck off, Snart," Sara whispered, a mere glance in his direction showed him that she had no fight in her eyes. They were dead, almost without color. Leonard scolded her with a small cluck of his tongue as he watched her.

"Language, Lance," he retorted with a small smirk. That's what got more of a reaction from her, baiting her was working nicely so he figured he'd continue with it. "It seems a little weak, don't you think? Crying."

"How would you know?" She asked, glaring up at him as she stared at the tombstone he had his back against, "You don't have feelings."

"Ouch," he grinned, feigning being hurt as he reached up and clutched his heart. "Careful, you might bruise me." Sara sat up finally, a bit of a fire behind those blue eyes of hers but she was still curled into herself, her legs were pulled up against her body.

"Get off my sister's tombstone," she demanded. It was simple, direct and if he hadn't spent the past few months with her, he maybe would've been a little worried.

"So that's it. Big sister's gone and we decide to have ourselves a pity party?" He asked, treading carefully but still willing to push a little and stir the pot as the fire remained but he did move away from the tombstone. Despite its comfort against his back, he wasn't suicidal. He waited a few moments, "It's not your fault, you know."

It was a change in tone, one that she wouldn't be entirely used to unless they were being threatened with death via freezing space air because of a busted hull. Then again, she tended to draw moments like this out of him and despite his attempts to keep things cool and collected, she managed to wheedle things out of him that he'd have rather kept dead and buried.

"Whose fault would it be then?" She asked, finally looking away from the tombstone again as she looked toward him another moment. "I left here, Leonard. I left in a time where I could've made an impact," she paused, "Where it should've been m-"

"If you're thinking of ending that sentence with an it should've been me I'll have half a mind to knock some sense into you," he cut in.

"Who should it have been then? My sister?" She demanded, "Someone who actually did good in her lifetime, put people like you behind bars and managed to change her city for the better? Why not me? The one stuck with a blood lust she can barely control."

"Fine then," he said, turning more toward her, "Let's hijack the Waverider, steal the jumpship and then come back here to right before so you can fall on your sword like the good little martyr you are."

"That's not what I meant," she tried explaining.

"Isn't it?" He asked, "Isn't that exactly what you're thinking in that little blonde head of yours? Enough of the feel sorry for me act, Lance. Instead of sitting here, whimpering of how you're lost without her, become the woman that she wanted you to be." Sara listened to him a moment, her eyes watching him carefully, just as he'd watched her.

"And what kind of woman was that supposed to be?" He glanced to his side, looking back at the slab of stone that did little to live up to the legacy of his Canary's big sister.

"It's simple really," he said, "The White Canary."


End file.
